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Spring News!

Well, I had been preparing to post about a recent bass fishing trip with my oldest son and then a photo post about all the different wildflowers that have cropped up in our yard this spring, and then I guess I just sort of got a touch of spring fever.

Well, spring fever and a new contract job which entails using my boat and taking out a young bird scientist to install nest boxes for prothonotary warblers in two different locations, miles from here, and then monitoring them twice a week from now through mid-July.

Well, spring fever, a new job, and an event that will change our lives forever.

Dotter and MuzicMan created this little girl, my first grandchild, and for the past few weeks, nothing else has seemed nearly as important as her timely and safe arrival.

Her middle name is a combination of letters from her paternal grandmother’s name (“Da” from Darlene) and the last three letters are the last three letters of my first name. I’m honored. I’m humbled.

And I’m in love.

I’ve been told countless times over that I will fall “stupid in love” with my grandchild, no matter the gender. I’ve been told it doesn’t matter what I’d like to be called, (which is Winnie, by the way), because I will answer to whatever she decides to call me.

For now, we are calling her Vivie, until she is old enough to do as her own mother did at the age of seven, which was to inform us that her name was not DoVi (her middle name by which everyone had been calling her), but that her name was Rachel. And oh by the way, DoVi is a combination name from both HER grandmothers: “Do” from Donna, my mother; and “Vi” from Vivian, The Captain’s mother.

And as you might have caught on, Vivie also contains the “Vi” from The Captain’s mother, who passed away last year at the age of 100. (Vivian was also my paternal grandmother’s name!)

No matter, she has stolen my heart. They are going home from the hospital today, and I’m looking forward to getting to know this precious, wee one.

Becoming a mother changed me in ways I could never have imagined; but since Vivie’s birth, I’ve already felt a shift from motherhood to grandmother hood, and I have a very strong feeling that I will start acting like a grandmother, dressing like one, and that I will be come soft and bake cookies, doing all the loving things grandmothers do.

Life is changing, and I’m not sure how that’s going to affect my life, my work, my goals, my ambitions; but somehow, I innately know those things have already begun to shift and change shapes in my subconscious.

No matter how much else changes, I hope to continue to be the Bayou Woman; and I hope that I get to teach her how to fish and that she loves it as much as I do.

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Spring News! — 26 Comments

I am so happy for you and your family! And yes, you will love her from top to bottom, side to side, good days, bad days and all in between. You will spoil her rotten, feel on top of the world when she gives you the first smile, walk on air even when she is spitting up on you. It doesn’t matter, shes a “GRAND” daughter!! And a very beautiful one too. Love her, hug her and inhale that special, newborn scent. You will be a great/fantastic Winnie to her.

Congrats on the new job too. I pray the weather that went thru here Saturday didn’t hit you or any of your family and readers. We were not so lucky.

I’m so sorry about the weather and that I was otherwise distracted while all that was going on. The bayou has been very high and out of its banks flooding some peoples yards and lower floor levels, but believe it or not, my slab was high and dry, thankfully. We did have hail with super high winds and rain on Sunday, I think it was. I saw a harrowing video on Facebook of people rescuing two babies from an overturned flooded truck, with water raging around them. I pray those babies have recovered fully. I hope you and your family were unharmed amid all of it. Thank you for the sweet words. I spent some time with them yesterday evening, and I’m looking forward to some more Vivie time tomorrow evening.

The babies in the truck are doing very good. The smallest is out of hospital and the toddler is off the breathing tube and they hope to take her home this weekend. I watched that and kept thinking I know some of those men. Duh!! It was our volunteer firemen and rescue team!! They are stationed only 3 blocks from my house.

Glad you are high and dry. We were on our way to Canton Saturday evening when my daughter called and told me there was a tornado watch, hail, flooding, etc expected. We turned around and went home. Or we would have been right dead center in it.

Oh, my gosh, Cammie. I’m so glad you’re safe — and glad for the followup news on the babies. I heard the story on the news, but hadn’t heard anything more. We’re in line for a little something today (they say) and I’m hoping it just dissolves and goes away.

Congratulations to Dotter & MuzicMan – and to yerself o’ course! Vivi looks just dandy (couldn’t resist that) – what a great way to honour one’s relations! Ye will always be THE Bayou Woman, ye’ll just end up with a new trainee as Tee-BW grows…the next generation o’ caring, concerned, strong & learned. Our best to all the Family…as it grows ever stronger!

Thank you, Capt. I love the idea of a Tee-BW, although she may turn out to be more of a girlie-girl, which is okay, too. BUT, her daddy loves to fish so we just might do some family fishing trips when she’s old enough to hold a little pink rod and reel! Yes, it grows stronger!

Congratulations to all of you! I love the middle name tradition in your family!

Now about this thing about you starting to act like a grandmother….. Grandmothers in today’s age are not like the grandmothers that we grew up with! We are of a new age. I’m in no way like my grandmother was. Of course we’ll still be that loving person we remember but no way to becoming soft for me! You have a great future ahead of you teaching Vivie to love the wetlands as much as you do.

I’d love to tell you that I photographed that in my yard this migration, but I think it’s from a past trip to Grand Isle. No matter, they are still such gorgeous birds. I can’t wait to tell you what else I hear and see during my boat trips to check nest boxes. We’re going to Lake Palourde in Morgan City later this week. Soon, I’ll get to monitor the baby birds inside. I can now add “Citizen Scientist” to my resume`. Who am I kidding? What in the world do I need a resume` for? (big smile!)

I had no clue that they were making up her middle name, thereby making this somewhat of a new family tradition but I like it, too! You’re right about grandmothers, and I can’t really explain it, but I do feel different. And I hope I can teach her to love them as much as I do!

Congratulations to you all. What a blessing to have a new life to share all Gods blessings with. I hope to see lots of pictures and read a book about your adventures together. I’m so excited for you. Kim Cedars

Congratulations to the new parents and grandparents! I know everyone is thrilled. If she hasn’t already, she will have you wrapped around her little pinky for years. FYI, a La. Lifetime hunting and fishing license are very affordable if you purchase them when they are very young. We purchased all of our grandchildren theirs for their 1st birthday. Just a suggestion. Lol Congratulations again on the job and the family expansion!

The funnest part of being the “Granny” that’s what all the kids call me is watching them grow and learn and helping them do it. Think about those trips on the boat and showing the wee one all the wonderful things you have learned. I’m like you, I’m in love with all of mine and I appreciate each one.

Congratulations Wendy! I am so happy for you and the family. I know you will really enjoy being a grandmother and I’m sure you will be a good one. I remember your grandmother very well, she was quite a lady herself.

Oh, Pam, how great to hear from you! It’s been such a long time. Thanks so much. Ah, yes, Grandmother Vi was quite a lady. I remember your grandmother and grandfather, and their house on the same street! Good memories!

Just remember — there isn’t any one right way to be a grandmother. I loved mine, and have some wonderful memories of growing up with her, but she certainly didn’t fit the mold of the soft, sweet grandma. Her cookies were the best, though! And I still use her recipes.

Congratulations to the whole family. I’m glad all went well. Now, you can get down to the business of watching her grow. It’s going to happen as fast for her as for those little warblers — I know you won’t mikss any of it!

I’ll do my best not to miss any of it, and I’m hoping to be that doting grandmother but maintaining some kind of balance in my life as well. Some say that’s easier said than done, but I’ll do my best!!! Great hearing from you. Assuming you fared better than some others in that rough weather we had last weekend.